So this weekend I competed in the Central Maine Strongman II, my first strongman competition, after training with the strongman implements and doing events for just a little over a month. I was very happy with my performance, and have a ton of room for improvement. Here are the events and my stats.I competed in the 176-200 lb class.

1) Viking Press for reps in 60 seconds, 210 poundsThis event was pretty good. I got 9 reps, which was good for 3rd. I would have liked a few more and thought that I could have at least gotten 10 when I was practicing on it, but nonetheless, I was happy with my performance.

2) Car Squat for max (starting weight 425)This was my worst event, and rightfully so, it was very very different than anything I have ever done. I made it to 550 lb and then failed at 625. This was a very hard event and I definitely need to train specifically for it. I came in 4th in this event.

3) Yoke Walk and Keg Load MedleyFor this one, the yoke started at 250 pounds, we walked 50 feet, then loaded 2 75 pound kegs, walked 50 more feet, then loaded 2 more 75 pound kegs for a final weight of 550 pounds, then we walked back 50 feet. With this event, I did pretty well in. I made it all the way with 550 without dropping it and came in 2nd. I was very happy with this one.

4) Farmers Walk (220 pounds in each hand)I did very well in this event, and the weight was very light for each hand. I believe I came in 2nd in this event and was happy with my performance.

5) Fingal Fingers We were to flip 3 fingers, the first being 12 feet and 325 lbs, the second being 13 feet and 350 lbs, and the third being 14 feet and 375 lbs. I flipped the 1st and 2nd with ease, and got to a sticking point on the 3rd and nearly had it, but dropped it. Nonetheless, I was very happy with this event.

6) Atlas Stones (60 inches, 56 inches, 52 inches, 48 inches, 44 inches)The stones were loaded in this order 215 lb, 230 lb, 250 lb, 280 lb, and 315 lb. I loaded the 215, 230, 250, and 280 successfully, but once I got to the 315, it was so smooth since no one had gotten to it and I didnt have time to tacky up so I didn't really attempt it. I was extremely happy with my performance, especially since I had not even been able to load the 280 stone in training on its own.

Overall, I came in 2nd, and I was very happy with my first show. I am definitely going to compete more and just need to focus on getting stronger now. I'll post some videos in a bit when I get them up.

That's sweet man. I have been postponing my first competition b/c my OH weights are atrocious for my body weight. At 260, all the competitions expect you to be a monster. I'm just a big novice!

What kind of strict OH weights do you hit? I am just curious to see how I match up. I imagine the viking press is easier than something like a push press?

How did you find the fingal fingers? The best I have been able to do was goof around doing that with a telephone pole, but I have no idea how much they weigh.

You're yoke work was impressive! Also, that last atlas stone was bigger than the others, correct? I can hit up to 275 with no tacky, chalk, or tape, but our 300 is the next size stone up and it throws my leverages off!

That's sweet man. I have been postponing my first competition b/c my OH weights are atrocious for my body weight. At 260, all the competitions expect you to be a monster. I'm just a big novice!

Haha, ya the weights for those guys was heavy, but you just gotta jump in there!

What kind of strict OH weights do you hit? I am just curious to see how I match up. I imagine the viking press is easier than something like a push press?

My best strict press is 205 x 4, and I have hit 215 in the axle press for 9. The viking press was a lot tougher than I thought. I thought that 10 + with the viking press would definitely be possible, but it was hard. The handles were also thicker than normal, which made it harder.

How did you find the fingal fingers? The best I have been able to do was goof around doing that with a telephone pole, but I have no idea how much they weigh.I found the fingers a lot easier than I thought. I know that I could have gotten the last one. They were not bad though.

You're yoke work was impressive! Also, that last atlas stone was bigger than the others, correct? I can hit up to 275 with no tacky, chalk, or tape, but our 300 is the next size stone up and it throws my leverages off!

With the stones, I had only trained them twice before. I had not hit 280 at that height before, which was the last one I loaded and never tried 315. The size of the 315 wasn't the problem, it was how slippery it was. Had I been able to re-tacky, I believe that I could have gotten it.

Thanks for your comments man, I hope you do your first show, and get hooked!

Get yourself onto the mailing lists of the strongman organizations out there. I went to the NAS site and signed up, as well as a couple of the others. That way, you'll start getting stuff in your e-mail about it when it happens.